Have you ever noticed how little ones love to read the same story again and again… and again and again? While fabulous for developing language skills, this also gives little ones a much-desired sense of control and predictability in their day.
The same holds true with a daily rhythm.
When little ones know what to expect throughout the day, they feel secure, comfortable, and safe. This consistency and predictability is an essential part of a child’s healthy development.
What is a Daily Rhythm?
So what exactly does a daily rhythm look like?
It is important to note that a rhythm is not the same as a schedule or routine. A rhythm is a flexible flow to your day that incorporates times of activity (expansions) and times of quiet (contractions).
For a young child, a daily rhythm might look like this:
- Wake up, have breakfast, and get dressed (contraction)
- Outdoor play (expansion)
- Structured activity or stories (contraction)
- Lunch
- Child-led playtime (expansion)
- Independent quiet time (contraction)
- Dinner
- Evening walk (expansion)
- Bedtime routine (contraction)
You’ll notice that I don’t include times. A daily rhythm is not time-oriented; it is simply the overall flow of your days.
You can think of your rhythm as an elastic band—if everyone is enjoying their morning play at the park, there is no need to rush home just because the clock strikes a specific time. Allow that expansion to stretch, trusting your instincts on when it is time to flow into the next part of your rhythm.
Planning Your Daily Rhythm
As you are planning your rhythm, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Your family is unique. Your family’s daily rhythm won’t look like every other family’s rhythm, and that is perfectly okay.
- Every child is different, and a contraction for one child might be an expansion for another. For example, an evening walk might be a relaxing, calming activity for one child, whereas that same walk might be a stimulating expansion for another child.
- Alternate between times of busy (expansions) and times of quiet (contractions).
- Alternate between more structured activities and child-led play. For young children, ensure there are large blocks of child-directed play.
- Reflect on your rhythm and make adjustments when needed. Yes, a successful daily rhythm offers consistency and predictability to your day, but that doesn’t mean you will get the “perfect rhythm” on the first try. It also doesn’t mean that your child and your family’s needs won’t change.
Using the Daily Rhythm Wheel and Cards
These daily rhythm cards are extremely flexible and can be used however works best for your family. While making your rhythm, you can choose from cards for:
- meals and snacks
- a variety of expansion activities
- a variety of contraction activities
- hygiene and getting dressed
- nature time for different seasons
- pet chores
- special events
- locations
- weather
- blank cards to make your own custom activities
You might choose to clip the cards to a string and display them in your child’s bedroom.
You could cut out the circles (a 1 1/2″ circle punch works perfectly for this!) and arrange them on the Daily Rhythm Wheel. A rolled piece of painter’s tape behind each circle works perfectly, or you could attach a velcro dot to the circles.
You could also add a magnet to the back of each card and arrange them on your fridge.
A nourishing and wholesome childhood is what Kindergarten at Home is all about!
Kindergarten at Home is my curriculum for 4-6 year olds. It takes the concept of a gentle daily rhythm and helps you build your days with playful learning activities, quiet time activities, art and cooking projects, sweet stories, and more. You will be making beautiful memories together all while setting your little one up to soar!
You can take a peek inside and learn more about Kindergarten at Home right here: https://shop.howweelearn.com/pages/kindergarten-at-home
Before you go, don’t forget to grab your FREE Printable Daily Rhythm Wheel & Cards!
Thank you so much for reading, my friend.
xo
Sarah
Thank you so much for sharing this sarah, I’ve been looking for a nice simple way to display our routine to help my toddler now were returning to nursery after the holidays and this is just perfect. So many have pictures that dont apply to.us, or arent representative for us, and when the times are on them!! I feel such a failure when I cant stick to them! So thank you again for helping our days feel more normal, I really appreciate it.
I am so happy this resource was helpful to you, Natalie! Thank you for sharing!